Customer Reviews

Ghost Whisperer - The Complete First Season

5 star:		(83)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

OK, I will admit to watching this for the lovely Jennifer Love Hewitt, having followed her career since Party of Five and several movies of varying quality. And when I first read that she would be returning to television in a series with this story I was, to put it mildly, not encouraged. But I have to admit this is quite a good show. Yes, the concept is similar to NBC's Medium but crossed with CBS' Touched by an Angel. So yes, it's a little corny at times. It's probably aimed at an older demographic being on CBS. But that doesn't detract from it being rather good, in that "tell me a spooky story" mode like the old Twilight Zone shows were at times.

Jennifer plays Melinda Gordon, recently married, now a small business owner in the town of Grandview (state unknown, but aren't all TV small towns like that?) who has held a particular ability since childhood, the ability to communicate with the dead. She "sees" them and is sought out by them to help them make their final journeys into the afterlife. Or "crossover" as it's been termed. But before they can, they all have unfinished business with their loved ones. Usually, it's the circumstances behind their deaths that lead them to Melinda. So "the dead" range from an M.I.A. soldier wishing to tell his now grown son the details of his disappearance, to a wrongly executed artist, to a 9 year old boy trying to tell his mother his death was not her fault. Naturally those she encounters are all skeptical, even hostile at times. But even she admits it's not easy having this ability, at times she wishes she didn't have it.

With each episode we learn a little more about her and her abilities with the undead. Like the fact her own mother has the same abilities but has tried to suppress them all her life and has had to deal with the guilt that entails. And all this leads up to the first season finale when she must deal with the victims of a plane crash and the multiple "crossings" that must occur, and the sudden twist to this story that served as the first season cliffhanger.

So far, there's no details on extra features, if any, here. But I would hope we'll get some episode commentaries, particularly from the show's creator as well as Ms. Jennifer. She was featured on the commentary track for her film "Heartbreakers" and proved to be a great storyteller on that film. I'm sure she'd be just as informative on this series.

As I said, this show is a guilty pleasure for me. Jennifer is beautiful to look at here; she can play strong, yet vulnerable characters. If you're looking for paranormal crime solvers, you're probably meant for Medium. But if you'd like a Friday night show to chill out with and end your week with, check out Ghost Whisperer.

I didn't expect to like this show. I thought it would be too sweet and that there would be no chills at all. I was so wrong. Unlike the full-blooded horror of "Supernatural", "Ghost Whisperer" disturbs you in a quiet way. These stories are rooted in deeply human conflicts and are often heart-wrenching. The program's spiritual themes are so uplifting. Highly recommended. I will be first in line to buy the second season!

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first started watching Ghost Whisperer because I used to watch Medium and got tired of that. This is so much better than Medium - I think it has something to do with the younger and more vibrant cast.
Melinda Gordon (Love-Hewitt) realises at a young age that she has a gift to talk to those who haven't yet crossed over. Why haven't they crossed over yet? They have unfinished business here on earth and it becomes her job to help them.
The show really begins with Melinda's wedding to Jim (the gorgeous David Conrad from Miss-Match) and when they move into their new house, she's already confronted by the first ghost that we see. Each weeks episode features a new ghost who needs her help, and while it may sound corny, it is sometimes moving and sad and sweet all at the same time.
It's a good show that may not appeal to everyone, but is definately worth trying to watch (if you are someone who thinks this may not appeal to you). I also like Melinda's business partner, Andrea (Aisha Tyler) who tries to understand and help out Melinda with all the ghostly goings on. I love this and I think it will have a wide appeal - I'm not normally someone who's into ghostly stuff, but this is a great show. I highly recommend it.

Don't buy this DVD set expecting to hear the great soundtrack from the show we love. The cover says: "SOME MUSIC HAS BEEN CHANGED FOR THIS HOME ENTERTAINMENT VERSION." That's putting it mildly. From what I can tell, *all* of the popular songs have been changed to generic Musak.

On broadcast episodes of Ghost Whisperer, background music/lyrics are important; sometimes they actually define or even divine the entire episode. The deletion of "You Are What You Love" by Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins from "The Vanishing" is a travesty. This profound, yet upbeat song is replaced by a slow, awful ballad that gives absolutely no hint to the joy, the highs and lows, and sweetness that's love - and also is Melinda's gift. The song was the episode's "teaser" - but it was also so much more than that! It set a tone of hope for "The Vanishing." Without "You Are What You Love" the episode is oppressive and painful to watch.

CBS made a poor choice stripping the broadcast music. I would've gladly paid a little extra to cover licensing fees.

As for the DVD set itself? It's okay. There are extras, deleted scenes and commentary tracks. This is a slim set, too. (Yippee!) But there are no subtitles other than Closed Captioning.

I purchased what I thought would be the complete, unedited Ghost Whisperer, Season 1. Instead, I got Ghost Whisperer Lite. It's like waiting all day for a Café Mocha and receiving watered-down decaf instead; "It's the same thing." No, it's not!

Maybe CBS will release a restored version of Ghost Whisperer Season 1? I'd buy THAT in a heartbeat!

-- Kayla

I, too, just tuned in to this show because of the lovely Jennifer Love Hewitt. Though, in my opinion, it is akin to say "Touched By An Angel," it is one of the best new shows I've watched in recent years. There's something special about this show. Just about every episode that I watch, I tear up and I hardly ever do that; I'm a guy. But this show has it all and I think will be very successful and a staple at CBS. This was a great season for a freshman drama and I would recommend this to anyone who likes good TV. Though the finale of Season 1 did make me very sad, this was a wonderful first season.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOO expensive!!!!!!!!!!! I wanted to but both Seasons, figuring I would pay $25-$29 for each Season, but $62 is out of control!!!

I was curious about the concept of the show, so watched the first episode. I liked it and so watched the following week. It quickly grew to be one of my favorite shows. I've been anxiously awaiting the release of this DVD so I can clear the episodes out of TIVO! I tried watching an episode or two of Medium, because I was interested in the concept of that show also, but found the main characters to be rather unlikable and they left me cold. Ghost Whisperer is such a warm show, you love all the main characters.

I have never really been a big Jennifer Hewitt fan, but I really like her character in this show. Ghost Whisperer doesn't "horrorize" ghosts and spirits like so many other shows and movies have over the years, which has made them all completely unrealistic.

If you like scary stories but are uncomfortable with evil themes...
This is a supernatural suspense show that you don't have to pre screen for your "Tween-Agers" who like scary.
This is not really as good of a show as say, "Medium" but, every episode of this show "Ghost Whisperer" is uplifting (like the conclusion of the film "Sixth Sense"), where Melinda is able to help the "Earth Bound Spirits" resolve their issues and "cross over".
Again though it seems like a comparison to Medium is natural, Medium is mostly dealing with the finding of very bad people that commit crimes that I don't want to have my younger kids exposed to. Ghost Whisperer is usually just scary enough to pique your interest and not scary enough to give bad dreams to your kids (or you), and has a good supporting cast (with likable characters), semi-continuity, and of course a very pretty star. So get this set and enjoy a commercial free marathon!

I have to admit that I only started watching this show because Jennifer Love Hewitt was in it. After watching the show I realized that it was a terrific show. Jennifer is a great actress and I think that she was perfect for this role. I love this show because it has so much to offer. What other show can you be scared one minute and then the next be in tears because of a heart touching moment. Even if your not into the supernatural shows I would still recomend it to anyone. I think that the first season is defintley worth buying and I cannot wait to see what is all going to happen in the second season.